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JUNE UTILITY MEETING MINUTES
JUNE 17, 2009
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by chair Cindy Endicott. Present for the meeting were: Cindy Endicott and Robert Parker, members of the utility commission; supervisors Jeff Bachke, Greg Andrews and John Werner; MSA representatives Jerome Flogel and Eric Sautbine; clerk Patti Alander, deputy clerk Cammy Hansen. Rice Lake property owner Joann Nordgren arrived at approximately 6:30 p.m.
A motion to approve the May meeting minutes was made by Robert Parker and seconded by Cindy. All vote in favor; minutes to be placed in file.
CORRESPONDENCE: None
SEWER WATER EXPANSION PROJECT 1A & 1B UPDATE:
1. Patti advised the committee that a packet of information was mailed to the affected residents yesterday. Official notice of the 90 day deadline to hookup was included in the letter. Jerome noted that that means a connection will need to be made every day in the next 90 days for that to happen. Greg stated that as long as the hookup is “in motion” (fees paid, pump purchased, etc.) we will be able to allow some flexibility on the timing. So far there are approximately 15 homes that are hooked up.
2. Patti reported that the committee meeting for WLSSD to take over LS#9 went well and the committee will recommend to the full WLSSD board to take ownership at their July board meeting. A short discussion regarding who held title to the land occurred. The State has title since the property is a Superfund site. The attorneys for the Town and WLSSD are working this out. The items that WLSSD asked to be done prior to the transfer have been completed.
3. Jerome reported that the 1A warranty inspection was completed on Friday. The final pay app and letter were sent to RJS along with the change order with the Qwest claim.
4. Jerome stated that any claims relating to 1B need to be filed prior to October 7, 2009. Patti stated that we will need to have resolution on the Schaefbauer property. Greg stated that the property owner needs s to deal with Wagner directly; the town had nothing to do with this issue. Phil has spoken to the homeowner and let them know that they should give Jerome a call. John also again asked why we are involved. Jeff also agrees that this is not a town issue. Greg stated that the homeowners got a free culvert out of the deal and they will need to make their own arrangements to have it properly installed if it is not now installed to their liking.
5. O&Ms and shop drawings will be completed shortly and dropped off to the town.
LIFT STATION #3:
1. Patti reported that USA is currently working on LS#3. Eric reported that the only remaining item is the erosion blankets and sodding. Jerome spoke with a homeowner at 4744 Howard Gnesen Rd. regarding the restoration of her property.
2. A motion to proceed with arbitration on the unresolved claims with USA was made by John and seconded by Greg. All vote in favor; motion carries.
LIFT STATION #1:
1. The results of the bid opening were distributed to the members. RJS was the low bidder, with a bid of $122,222.22. Patti noted that the bid came in approximately $40,000.00 more than we expected. Jeff asked Jerome if he feels as though we got good bids in light of the fact that the cost was much more than expected. Jerome was hoping for more bidders and even called some contractors to see if they would be submitting a bid. After discussion, it was decided that it would not be beneficial to re-let the bid as it is possible we would get higher bids or even no bids. A motion for the adoption of Resolution 09-06-24 (attached) accepting and awarding the contract to RJS was made by John and seconded by Greg. All vote in favor, motion carries.
LIFT STATION #4 AND #6:
1. We need to buy the pump for LS #4. Shelton Excavating will do the work since their pump has been installed as a temporary fix. Due to higher than anticipated cost for LS#1, we will need to be very careful of any further expenditures.
2. Jerome recommends that manhole #150 on 3rd Ave. S. be repaired as water is pouring into it and gravel is entering as well. The sections have separated. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR:
1. Joann Nordgren, 4792 Rice Lake Road: She put in a new septic system three years ago and wonders what the process is to defer hooking up to the new sewer system. Patti explained to her that she needs to go through the county to have the septic system inspected. She said she has done that and thought that the county had forwarded that information to the town. The town has not received anything. Patti asked if she hired an inspector. Joann said that the county told her that since her system was only three years old she did not need to do that because there is no need for it. She was under the impression that that would take care of it and is now wondering what else she needs to do. Greg informed her that we need a copy of that documentation from St. Louis County. The maximum deferral is for five years per our Town ordinance. Cammy pulled the file for another resident who has received a deferral from the county so that Ms. Nordgren will know what is required. After the town receives the appropriate documentation from the county we would draft a resolution authorizing the deferral. Ms. Nordgren also asked what will happen to residents who are not able to get financing to make the sewer/water connection. The board will have to take that on a case by case basis. Ms. Nordgren also asked if contractors have been approached to do multiple connections at a reduced cost. She was informed that that is up to the residents; the town is not able to negotiate with the contractors directly. Patti asked Ms. Nordgren to bring in the documentation that she has so we can make copies for our records and see what additional documentation, if any is required. Cindy expressed concerns regarding the age of the system that we have received a deferral on. We will wait to see what the documentation is that Ms. Nordgren has received. Cindy reiterated that she feels strongly that several homeowners will refuse to hook up and we need to put a plan into place to deal with this issue. Jeff stated that he would like to see this as a future agenda item.
REVIEW OF LONG RANGE SEWER PLAN AND SERVICE AREA:
1. Jerome presented drawings of the long range sewer plan and they were discussed.
ANNUAL METER READING UPDATE
1. Joe is making progress on the meter readings but is finding many illegally connected sump pumps. Due to the more in depth inspection, the time is taking much longer than last year.
SMOKE TESTING:
1. Letters need to be mailed to the two residents who had leaks when the smoke testing was done.
569 PROGRAM:
1. Jerome will be submitting the 2010 application for 569 funding from the Corps of Engineers within a month.
E-ONE GRINDER STATIONS:
1. A discussion regarding which residents are required to have e-one grinder stations took place. Jerome makes the initial determination of homes that may not need a grinder station; however the contractor will need to do final measurements prior to a decision being made.
LOCATES:
1. Jerome described the events that happened today regarding the sewer line break on West Calvary Road. The county was ditching and broke off a curb stop. There was no locate. Jerome stated that the reasons he was given that the locate was not done were: 1. the locator was not working and 2. The locate wires were not accessible. Phil stopped to check on it. Neither the sewer or water lines were located on this particular property and the adjoining property had an erroneously marked sewer line and no marking at all for the water line. Phil checked the wires and found that only one wire was not able to be accessed with his fingers. There are additional wires at the curb stop that can be used if the others are too hard to reach. Jerome wanted to make the point that you cannot walk away if you cannot locate a line; you must ask for assistance. We are currently in a lawsuit regarding this same issue on a different occasion and will most likely now be responsible for the costs of repairs for this incident. The town is responsible to receive the proper training on the locating equipment.
NEXT MEETING DATE IS JULY 15, 2009 AT 6:00 P.M.
THE AUGUST MEETING DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO AUGUST 26, 2009 AT 6:00 P.M.
Having no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.
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